Bethina Lydia Fortescue, the Lady
Godwin, adored her king as no other for twenty years.But the king is dead, and as his mere
mistress she is no longer welcome at court.

Sir Arthur Jeffries, newly
appointed to Princess Meredith's Regency Council, needs help.He begs the legendary Lady Godwin to return
to the palace as the princess' tutor, hopefully to lead the gawky teenager
through the political and romantic minefield of suitors and hidden assassins invited
to attend her Debutante Ball.

Bethina and Arthur fight the
undeniable surge of attraction between them. Bethina cannot bring herself to
put aside the love she had for her king, and now concern for his heir. Arthur
knows that he will only be able to serve the princess if he continues his life
of solitude. Now is no time to take a courtesan to bed.

Brought together as servants to
Rushton's crown, but joined through a lifetime of bitter and shrewd
experiences, Bethina and Arthur discover that when the princess finally takes a
husband, and all the enemies of the land are vanquished, they will have only
one thing left to live for: love.

The phantom
caress of Freddie's touch conjured long buried memories.Ah, sweet agony. Exuberant in their youth,
she and Freddie had explored all the possible sexual positions together.And now...

She fought
against a tear. That was all in the past. Gone.

She closed her
eyes so she might ignore the overly familiar oil landscape hung over her bed
and the other tiny details that recalled the sweet and torrid memories.Her finger caught at a lace ribbon on the
vanity top and pulled it across the polished wood surface.Her favorite clock ticked.Time passed.When would the hole in her heart heal?Anger at her weakness surged.She
grabbed and held onto it.

"Stop being
morbid, Beth.You've got a job to
do."Her voice echoed in the
vaulted room.

A knock sounded
from the outer chamber.She still had an
hour before she expected her first guest.The tweeny scurried to answer it.

"She's not
quite decent, sir."

Bethina
grinned.Leave it to the young ones to
state the truth.She stood and turned to
welcome whoever it might be, calling out, "Let them in, Laurel.I'm as decent as I'm going to get."It took but a few steps to enter the sitting
room.

The girl
curtsied and opened the door wider.Sir
Arthur stood in the hall, his cap in his hand and eyes wide as he noticed the
extravagance of her chamber.

Once again, that
phantom emotion sprang to life. She couldn't possibly take another lover.
Never. Action would help to stifle her misgivings.

"Come.
Come." She gestured him into the room."It's been far too long since these rooms saw a gentleman not bent
on nefarious deeds."

"Hah!"She strode to the chaise, settled down and
reached for the bell.The tweeny
reappeared."What would you like to
drink, sir?"

Dressed in a
suit of black silk from head to foot, the diplomat evoked an aura of quiet
power.He had not moved since pausing
inside her threshold."I like to
keep my wits when dining with my enemies and my friends."

Bethina pressed
her lips together before ordering, "Small ale for two."

He remained
still, his gaze boring into hers."Do you possess a more modest gown, Lady Godwin?"

She chuckled and
leaned forward just a touch."Unlike you, Sir Arthur, it is not to my advantage to fade into
background.A low cut bodice is far more
effective in eliciting confidences than sitting near silent in a corner with a
shawl up to my chin."Even as she
grinned, her melancholy vanished. Thank goodness she had somebody to match wits
with.

He coughed and
appeared to decide she was not about to eat him for lunch.He stretched his long legs out as he settled
in the high-backed chair opposite her perch. He continued to study her. What
did he want?

"Now, why
the early arrival for supper?"

He turned his
attention to the appointments of the chamber; the heavy furniture, damask
curtains, oil paintings.Every feminine
furbelow Trudy could gather dotted all possible surfaces.Lace, china, clocks, jewelry.It appeared as the room of a very wealthy
lady of the nobility. No guest could possibly guess at her sordid past.

"Sir
Arthur?"

"Hmm?Oh, yes.Sorry. I wondered if you required any more information before we go in
for supper this evening?"

"No, I
think not.Sometimes it is better to
make your own judgments, true?"

He rubbed his
palms together for a moment."I
would have to agree with that."

So, he was
avoiding speaking his mind. Really, now was not the time to keep secrets from
her.

Laurel appeared
with their drinks, served and withdrew.

Perhaps if she
taunted him.

Bethina ran one
finger along the rim of her glass, collecting the drop of moisture sitting
there and then licked it dry. "You really wanted to see what I had chosen
to wear.Admit it.What would the famed mistress of King
Frederyk do upon her return to court?" She sipped at her ale and decided
the castle boasted a fine master brewer.

"Yes.I am taking a huge risk here.Should we misstep, I shall be back in the desert
of Uiel and you in that house on the river."

"But you
forget, Sir Arthur."She placed her
glass on the small table at her right and drew a heart on the tabletop from the
glass's condensation."Not once in
two decades was I dismissed from court.I am good at this."

He smiled and
relaxed in his seat."As am
I."

She met his
steady gaze.Good.His defenses were coming down. She took a
deep breath, her breasts pressing against her tight bodice.His grey eyes widened. He swallowed. She
followed his Adam's apple down his muscled neck and grinned in appreciation at
his wide shoulders.The years had been
kind to him.The blood beat in her ears
.Her body stirred.

And suddenly it
became clear. He desired her.As much as
she wanted him.

"I didn't
come here for a flirtation." Her protest sounded gravelly.

His cheeks
blazed with color."I did not
invite you for such."

She waited, as
he appeared to want to say more.In the
end, they simply shared a nod each understood. The heat and lust would wait,
for now."I am here for Freddie's
niece.She needs me."

He nodded.
"Yes, she does.I think, though,
that I will enjoy working alongside you."

S.D. Grady is a lover of men,
music, movies and fast machines. A beautiful gown stirs her blood as quickly as
a NASCAR race.An author of historical
and fantasy romance, she never hesitates to switch gears and plunge into the
real world of sports commentary.

She lives in her house on the
hill with her husband of 20 years and their cats. During work hours she runs a
movie theatre and, when not writing, enjoys crocheting yet another colorful
afghan. Several times a year you can find them at the track in their RV.